Hort Tips

August - Edible

Control tomato leafspots. Factsheet available.

Control tomato wilt diseases. Factsheet available.

Try sowing a crop of rye, rye grass or oats in unused garden areas for a green manure crop. Factsheet available.

Harvest your herbs and hang them in a dark, well ventilated location.

Dried herbs should be stored in an air tight container. Preserving & harvesting herbs factsheet available.

Brown areas in your lawn may indicate white grub damage. Check your lawn for browned areas that can be lifted like a rug. Factsheet available.

Plan a family outing to one of the following county fairs:

• Kankakee County Fair - August 2 - August 6
  Fairgrounds 815-932-6714
• Kendall County Fair - August 4 - August 6
  Fairgrounds 630-553-2860
• McHenry County Fair - August 2 - August 6
  Fairgrounds 815-333-5315
• Will County Fair - August 23 - August 27
  Fairgrounds 708-258-6592
• Lake County Indiana Fair - August 4 - August 13
  219-663-3617
• Illinois State Fair - August 11 - August 20
  217-782-6661

August - Ornamental

Allow lily stems to die down naturally and cut off a few inches above the ground.

Plant shrub roses.

Fertilize hybrid teas around August 1; no later or new growth may not survive the winter.

Early fall color in trees is a sign of trouble.

Control wasps & bees. Factsheet available.

Control bagworms with Dipel or Thuricide. Factsheet available.

Finding sawdust at the base of tree? Control carpenter ants. Factsheet available.

Allow lawn clippings to filter back down in lawn. Clippings contain 75-80 percent water.

Did you know that a study at the University of Illinois showed mulching mowers did not provide any additional benefit over conventional mowers?

Reseed your lawn in late August. Factsheet available.

August - Indoor

Water houseplants with water at room temperature.

Keep houseplants away from cold drafts from air conditioning units.

September - Edible

Lettuce, kale, radishes and spinach can be seeded for a fall harvest.

Pick-your-own orchards are open. For a free listing of orchards give us a call or check out our Apples & More website at http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/apples/

September - Ornamental

Pull out dying annuals.

Plant mums, kale, flowering cabbage or pansies.

Collect soil for soil testing. Call 773-233-0476 for a soil testing booklet.

Mildew will develop but fungicides are not needed this late in the season.

Slugs become active in cold weather. Control with slug bait or stale beer in shallow pans. Call our office for factsheet.

Plant spring flowering bulbs. Factsheet available.

Check out our Bulbs & More website at http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/bulbs/

Keep squirrels out of beds by covering your bulb bed with chicken wire. Stake it at the edges so squirrels will not get under it.

Divide perennials.

Reseed lawn in early September. Fact sheet available.

Take cuttings from coleus. Will root easily in water.

Plant trees and shrubs.

Plant a green manure crop in empty garden areas. Factsheet available.

September - Indoors

Bring in houseplants that summered outdoors.

August 2000
EPA Ends Over-the-Counter Sale of Dursban | Root Rot | Now is the Time for Overseeding | Asian Longhorned Beetle War | Lawn Care Calendar | Bug Bites: Late Summer Tree Insects | Cybergarden Sites | Hort Shorts | Hort Tips | Locally Grown: Small Tomato Time | We All Scream for Ice Cream | The Herb Garden: Drying Herbs | Health & Household Tips | Did You Know?

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